Solvent composition



Patented Aug. 27, 1940 UNITED STATES SOLVENT COMPOSITION Hugh a. Webster, Detroit, Mich, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Kolene Corporation, Detroit, Micln, a corporation of Michigan No Drawing. Application December 29, 1938, Serial No. 248,191

6 Claims. (or. 252-472) This invention relates to solvents for use in dry cleaning, metal cleaning and allied uses, one of which is to destroy the bond of rubber partially or wholly vulcanized to fabric or metal and other similar usw in the rubber industry, and has for its object to providea solvent comprising a mixture of inflammable and non-inflammable liquids characterized by low toxic qualities, entire lack of flash point and inflammability, excellent clean- 10 mg properties and economy of manufacture or mix. This application is a continuation in part of myapplication Serial No. 235,813 filed October 19, 1938. I

It has been proposed to mix a non-inflammable l5 chlorinated hydrocarbon such as carbon tetraas naphtha or gasoline in order to obtain a price advantage over the chlorinated hydrocarbons, however, the result has usually been a mixture which is highly toxic, corrosive to metals and inflammable for the reason that the chlorinated hydrocarbons have, to all intents and purposes,-

a single boiling point, whereas the inflammable hydrocarbons having a boiling range of flfty degrees or over so that the two will separate during distillation. The principal object of this invention is to provide a solvent composed of a mixture of non-inflammable chlorinated hydrocarbons and inflammable hydrocarbons which will not separate during distillation. The principal object of this inventionis to provide a solvent composed of a mixture .of non-inflammable chlorinated hydrocarbons and inflammable hydrocarbons which will not separate during distillation and 35 which will overcome the other mentioned previous disadvantages. More particularly, it the object to provide a mixture of non-inflammable chlorinated hydrocarbons of the order of carbon tetrachloride, trichlorethylene, perchlorethylene or the like and an inflammable of the order of motor benzol and to inseparably bind them together. By so doing I have found that the mixture will not corrode iron, steel or aluminum, its toxic qualities are materially reduced, it has dry cleaning qualities and requires less spotting, and it can be produced at a substan tage over any of the chlorinated hydrocarbons alone.

Another object is to provide a liquid which acts as a detergent in removing rubber from various fabrics or metal. When fabric to which rubberclings during pro-heating for or during vulcanization processes is immersed in this solvent for a period as short as six minutes the rubber loses its 55 adhesive qualities and is easily removed from the tial price advan tively small percentages as a matter of economy.

fabric or metal as by scraping or brushing or agitation. Solvents such as carbon tetrachloride alone drive the rubber into the fabric rather than removing it.

. More particularly it is an object to provide a is mixture of a non-inflammable liquid having a substantially constant cooling point with a hydro carbon cut, preferably unsaturated and having a relatively wide boiling range, to bind these together by the addition of a higher boiling nonl0 inflammable which has the function of dissolving the two lower boiling members thereby causing them to boil in the same temperature range without separation even though the distillation iscarried on very slowly. Motor benzol is preferred chloride with an inflammable hydrocarbon such as the inflammable constituent because it contains, in small quantities, higher boiling unsaturates which'act as inhibitors against hydrolyzation, thereby giving it-non-corrosive properties in respect to metals. The benzol referred to is preferably a commercial grade sold under that name and having a boiling range from 150 lit-220 F. with the average being approximately 178 F.

and containing small quantities not exceeding about 12% of toluene, xylene, anthracene, naphthalene and hydroquinone and para-amino phenol, which substances appear to materially "aid the inhibiting action against hydrolyzation.

To this inflammable and non-inflammable mixture I then add a partially chlorinated non-inflammable hydrocarbon such as trichlorethylene or perchlorethylene or'tetrachloroethane having a higher boiling point than the average boiling point of the inflammable constituent and also higher than the first mentioned non-inflammable. This latter constituent may be used in compara- It will thus be seen that the first described noninflammable is preferably carbon tetrachloride because it has the lowest boiling point, because its boiling point is closest to the preferred inflammable and because it is the cheapest of the chlo- In the event that neither hydroquinone norpara-amino phenol are found in the available inflammable hydrocarbon or in case a saturated hydrocarbon such as naphtha is used which is not expected to contain either of these substances, their value as inhibitors against hydrolyzation should be recognized and they or either of them added in amounts up to 1% by volume even though one or more of the other named substances (toluene, xylene, anthracene or naphthalene) is present.

While itis herein stated that saturated inflammables such as naphtha may be used in-this solvent, it is preferred that unsaturates only be used as the saturates are chemically inactive, whereas the unsaturates tend to inhibit hydrolyzatlon by reason of taking up any available hydrogen as is necessary for hydrolyzation. This is important from the-standpoint of toxicity because there is a more or less neutralizing action of the unsaturated inflammable with the chlorinated non-inflammable. Also the mixture includa product inferior for most purposes results.

As an example of preferred formulae for dry cleaning and for certain types of degrea'sing work the following are given; Carbontetrachloride 35 parts 35 parts Benzol 15 do 13 do Trichlorethylene 2 do '4 do Hydroquinone or p'araamino phenol 0.1% 0.1% byvolume What is claimed is:

1. A solvent comprising benzol boiling within the range 150-220 F. in amounts from 5-8996 by volume, a liquid, non-inflammable chlorinated hydrocarbon having a mean boiling-point con- 5 tained within the boiling range of said benzol in amounts from 60-95% by volume, and a second liquid, non-inflammable chlorinated hydrocarbon having a higher boiling point than that of the first named chlorinated hydrocarbon in amounts from 1-20% by volume.

, 2. A solvent comprising benzol boiling-within the range 150-220 F., a liquid, non-inflammable chlorinated hydrocarbon boiling within the range of said benzol, in amounts from 65-70% by volume, and a second liquid non-inflammable benzol.

3. A solvent comprising benzol boiling within the range 150-220 F. in amounts from 549% by volume, carbon tetrachloride in amounts from 60-95% by volume and trichlorethylene' m .2 amounts from 1-20% by volume.

4. A solvent having the following composition by volume:

' Per cent Benzol boiling within the range 150-220,

F. approximately Carbon tetrachloride 65-70 Trichlorethylene- 3-8 =5. A solvent having the following composition by volume:

Trichlorethylene 2.

6. A solvent having the following composition by volume:

Parts Benzol boiling within the range ISO-220 F 13 Carbon tetrachloride e 35 .5

Trichlorethyleneuu; 4

HUGH G. WEBSTER. 

